Google AI Overviews Have More Links, But Not All Reach The Web

A link in an AI Overview isn't a visit: some keep readers inside Google, and Search Console doesn't count them

Search Engine Journal reported in September 2026 that Google has described a growing set of link displays inside AI Overviews. They include links beside the answer text, article suggestions at the end of a response, and previews of public discussions that link to the thread. Since January, mobile users can also tap a follow-up question that opens an AI Mode conversation. In Search Console, a click on an external page counts as a click. A link that runs a new Google query counts as neither a click nor an impression. Two recent posts offer evidence. Peec AI charted how often overviews carry an external link in the answer text, as a daily average ending in September. Gagan Ghotra recorded underlined text in an overview that opened AI Mode, not a website.

Does a link in an AI Overview send a visitor to my site?

Not necessarily. Google describes several link types, and only links to an external page register as clicks in Search Console. Some send the reader into AI Mode instead.

Google's own posts, as SEJ lays them out, run from inline links and desktop carousels in August 2025, through the January mobile follow-up, to hover pop-ups in February and the May additions. Each is described as a way to reach content, but the destination differs by display.

Ghotra's recording shows one link in one search. It proves such links exist. It says nothing about how common they are.

What does Search Console record when a link stays inside Google?

Nothing, according to the reporting: a link that launches a new Google query is neither a click nor an impression, so that interaction is invisible in your performance reports.

This is the angle the link-count discussion tends to skip. If more of an overview's link surface leads to further Google queries, the number of links a searcher sees can rise while the number Search Console logs stays flat. A weak click trend in your data could reflect real lost visits, interactions that never reach your reports, or both. The reporting doesn't say how often each happens, and neither does Google.

How far can I trust the link-share numbers being passed around?

Treat them as presence counts, not traffic. Peec AI's chart measures how often an external link sits in the answer text, which says nothing about whether anyone clicks it.

SEJ makes the same distinction: the chart shows links, not clicks. Peec chose the definition, which is narrower than Google's own list of displays, since it leaves out end-of-response suggestions and discussion previews. The reporting also doesn't say which queries, devices or markets fed the average.

Google's numbers are no firmer. Its May post says early testing showed people were "significantly more likely to click" links labelled as their subscriptions, but gives no figures. It also gives no counts for any of the updates it describes. For the inline-link change it doesn't say which markets are affected or when the rollout finishes. Google runs the tests and defines "engaging", and outsiders can't check either.

What should I ask my monitoring vendor?

Ask which link types their AI Overview metric counts, whether it separates external links from links that open AI Mode, and whether it measures clicks or only appearances.

Also ask for the query sample, the device split and the market. The mobile follow-up and the desktop hover previews are different experiences, so a blended average can hide a lot. This fits the zero-click theme we covered earlier: visible link counts and delivered visits can diverge, and a dashboard that reports only the first will flatter you.

Frequently asked questions

Do all links in AI Overviews count as clicks in Search Console?

No. A click on an external page counts. A link that runs a new Google query counts as neither a click nor an impression.

Has Google published click rates for these link displays?

Not in the posts SEJ describes. The May post carries no counts, and its subscription-link claim comes with no numbers.

Is the AI Mode follow-up limited to some countries?

Google's January post says it is available on mobile, globally. The May post doesn't give markets or a completion date for the inline-link change.

Sources: Search Engine Journal, which quotes Google's posts and the posts by Peec AI and Gagan Ghotra. We have not checked those originals directly.